Lloyd Center Neighborhood Guide

Perhaps one of the more unique neighborhoods precisely because it isnt,
the Lloyd District is Portlands version of the rest of Americas home
away from home.In other words,
this relatively smaller neighborhood forms the epicenter of tourism in
Portland.In Lloyd, there appear
to be more hotels than homes, and recognizable seems to be the aesthetic
mandate.Essentially, this is
where youll find the Dennys.

That is not to say that Lloyd is without its charms, its character, or
its Pure Portland feel, and we have tried to list a few below.In a neighborhood of visitors, these are the businesses we think make
the nicest introductions.

Lloyd District Shopping

Elmers Flag & Banner, Kites Too!

Since banners typically wave in an eye-catching invitation to step closer,
an entire store of them  plus flags, plus kites  simply does not let you
walk past without entering.11,000
square feet of showroom and warehouse space, including room for their own
sewing and repair, Elmers Flag & Banner, Kites Too! offers the largest
selection of flags in the entire world, most of them onsite: international,
American, American historical, military, sports, nautical, fun.Their banner selection likewise runs from animals to landscapes to
floral to seasonal. The Kites
Too! side of the business is also amped, featuring single line kites, stunt
kites, traction kites, themed kites.

Family owned and operated, Elmers Flag & Banner, Kites Too! does
business all over the world out of their only location  this must stop,
dazzling gem in Portlands Lloyd District.

Making lemonade from lemons, local jewelry design artist, Jane McLellan,
began her beloved jewelry business during dot.com layoffs that forced her to
re-org her life.In seven years,
that lemonade has been sweetened with international recognition, celebrity
clientele, and spotlights in top fashion magazines.In addition to Janes artful jewelry, the business carries vintage
cowboy boots, local leather, and a line of denim.

Providing Asian foods and imports in the Lloyd District since 1968, Anzen
and third generation owner, Hiroshi Matsushima, actually offer much, much
more.First of all, the store is
deceptively huge, supplying Portland with a full-on Asian grocery market
complete with fresh seafood and meat as well as a comprehensive import store
carrying everything from paper lanterns to sushi dishes to Japanese
prophylactics.

More than a line of products, however, Hiroshis Anzen imparts friendship
and good cheer, with many customers addressing Hiroshi by name as they enter
and engaging in easygoing conversation.But,
yet, the importance of this store runs profoundly deeper.

Photographs on the wall tell the tale of a family-owned shop that obviously
goes back a lot further than 1968.And
then a large notice, framed and hung prominently presumably so that no one
ever forgets, begins to explain the discrepancy.Within the sizeable frame is the decree that sent over 100,000 American
citizens of Japanese descent into internment camps during World War II  and
suspended the Matsushima familys business from 1942 to 1946.Before then and dating back all the way to 1905, the shop was located
in what was then known as Japantown.Following
the blight of the political action taken during the war, those same exact
streets on Portlands northwest side converted and became forever known as
Chinatown.

But Hiroshi remembers  and celebrates  another time, not only when
the political geography of Portland was different, but when proprietors were
your trusted friends, and their products reflected relationships more than
just revenue.

Hiroshis Anzen

736 NE MLK Jr. Blvd.

Portland, OR 97232

(503) 233-5111

Hot Box Betty

Not quite a box, the 300 square foot sales area of Hot Box Betty is,
lets just say, cozy.But size
only matters when it comes to fit, and they manage to chock the place full of
fashion favorites in a variety of sizes in a shop that, amazingly, doesnt
feel cramped or crazy.They carry
accessories as well, and deals are to be found.

Lloyd

District Restaurants, Bars, and Coffee

We normally dont do chains, but Segafredo Zanetti Espresso Café
has over 600 locations worldwide and only four in America, of which the
Portland site is one, in such company as Cairo, Amsterdam, and Paris.Guess words gotten out we like our coffee.

Personal Services

Offering salt rubs to sugar glow to massage and hydrotherapy, la Muse
is a spa retreat as well as gift gallery.

The Rose Quarter

The prized, enormous Rose Quarter complex is located in the heart of
Portlands Lloyd District and is comprised of the 12,000 seat Memorial
Coliseum, the 6,500 seat Theater of the Clouds, the 40,000 square foot Exhibit
Hall, and the Rose Quarter Commons.Finally,
the Rose Garden Arena is Portlands largest indoor venue at 19,980 seats,
and it is home to the NBAs Portland Trail Blazers, the Western Hockey
Leagues Winter Hawks, and the National Lacrosse Leagues Portland
LumberJax as well as many major other indoor events and concerts.

When home during their respective seasons, each of these three professional
teams often plays on Saturdays, with typical starts times around 7:00-7:30.The Trail Blazers (Customer Service: One Center Court; 503-797-9600;
www.nba.com/blazers) schedule runs
from October to April.The Winter
Hawks (Front Office: Memorial Coliseum, 300 N. Winning Way; Tickets:
503-236-HAWK; www.winterhawks.com)
play from September to March.And
the LumberJax (One Center Court, Suite 150; 503-736-2130; www.portlandjax.com)
swing away from December to April.

BLAZERS

Portland itself scored two major points for local sports in 2007.The slam-dunk was beating the odds to nab the 2007 number one pick in
the NBA draft.The Trail Blazers
chose outstanding Ohio State center, Greg Oden.History is waiting to be made, and the glory of the 77 championship
lead by the likes of Bill Walton and Maurice Lucas is waiting to be restored.

WINTER HAWKS

In 1976, Portland became the first American city to host a team in the
Western Hockey League, which itself is part of the Canadian Major Junior
Hockey League and the number one go to source for Americas National Hockey
League recruiting.In their
thirty-plus years of hitting the ice, the Winter Hawks have racked up numerous
pennants and playoff championships and have managed to skate home with the
Memorial Cup twice.

LUMBERJAX

In 2005 at the age of 24, Angela Batinovich became the youngest owner of a
professional sports team in the US.Arriving
on the scene with a background in fashion and her own designer label, Bats
Daughter, no one knew exactly what to expect from her brand new lacrosse team,
The LumberJax.One year and a few
really smart moves later, Angela was named the 2006 National Lacrosse League
Executive of the Year.

First, Angela hired a top-notch coach, and then, understanding that not
everyone is familiar with the game of lacrosse, she pimped the experience by
pumping in loud music and ramping up the atmosphere to that of a stadium
party, thus ensuring a good time regardless of spectator experience.

Oregon Convention Center

The 17-acre campus hosts the largest convention center in the Pacific
Northwest with two grand ballrooms, 50 meeting rooms, and 250,000 square feet
of exhibit space.As if a
flagship for the green tide in Portland, the OCC is the first convention
center in America to receive the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED
certification as an existing building.A
one-stop-does-it-all affair, the Oregon Convention Center provides services
from audiovisual, lighting, and electrical concerns while youre there to
booth cleaning after youre gone to pole banner advertising before you ever
arrive.And they are handily
equipped to handle events for 10 to 10,000.

Lloyd Center Mall

PortlandNeighborhood would be remiss to mention the Lloyd District and not
make reference to the Lloyd Center Mall. Belonging
to the Glimcher Company, based out of Columbus, Ohio, Lloyd Center will not
disorient the out-of-town visitor to be sure, which is doubtless why its
location works so well.But
features like Stanfords Restaurant and Bar, owned by the Portland based
Pacific Coast Restaurants family of businesses give a shout out to at least
the idea of local while the concourses gigantic ice skating rink is a more
sensational reminder of bygone social spaces and promenades than the typical
mall offerings of childrens play area/germ fests and faux foliage.

Moving to Portland?
Want to make new Portland friends or ask questions about your Portland
neighborhood?

Maps - View Neighborhoods and Boundaries

NOTE:You may need the "Adobe Acrobat Reader" software installed on your computer to read some map files. The Adobe Reader is available free from
Adobe. If you cannot view the maps,
download and install Adobe Acrobat reader, then try again.